


(New) Captain America Wanna Be

by reeby10



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Character(s) of Color, Conversations, Female Character of Color, Fights, First Meetings, Gen, Male Character of Color, New York City, Pancakes, not necessarily in that order
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3807919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/pseuds/reeby10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sounds like you really miss the team,” she said quietly, watching the way he winced at her words. She knew from Kate he hadn't really talked to anyone on the team since he left, and it was obvious he'd done whatever he needed to do all alone and he was ready to come back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(New) Captain America Wanna Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [evildevilgirl02](https://archiveofourown.org/users/evildevilgirl02/gifts).



> Rarely Written Fic Exchange pinch hit for evildevilgirl02, who wanted a fic where America meets Eli and they just get to know each other. Basically my wishes to get the team all back together for a new YA run :) I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Eternal thanks to soniclipstick for the beta! This is at least 100x better thanks to her suggestions :)

America liked walking the streets of New York City at night. The city was so different than home and it was interesting to see so many people, especially when she knew almost no one here but her team and a few other superheroes. City streets at night gave her a different perspective and it helped remind her of why she fought villains and helped people.

She'd been wandering for about half an hour, seeing how the streets started to empty as businesses closed and people went home, when she heard the sound of a fight in an alleyway up ahead. She stopped for a moment, listening intently. Deciding she at least needed to take a look, she took off at a run.

She came to a halt at the mouth of the alley, peering around the corner to assess the situation. It seemed to be a group of about fifteen guys, all holding guns or knives, against a single other guy. The guy they were attacking seemed about her age, but he was holding his own very well.

But it was still fifteen against one. Those weren't really great odds for anyone, and she knew since she was there she should help. With a sigh, she cracked her knuckles and jumped into the fray.

They might have been packing a lot of weapons, but they weren't very skilled at using them, and she'd obviously surprised them by joining the fight. She could see the indecision in some of their eyes about fighting her, but a few well placed fists soon made them forget their hesitation.

Throughout the fight, she kept her eye on the guy they'd been attacking. Something about him, about the way he fought, seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She shrugged the thought off, concentrating on the fight. There would be time to think about it when they'd won.

It didn't take long before all but two of the guys were down, either knocked out or too afraid to get back up. The remaining guys were injured and exhausted, the fight obviously almost entirely gone from them even as they stood there shaking. It wouldn't take much for them to flee.

“Scram,” she said, punching a fist into her hand menacingly. In just a moment, the alley was empty except for the two of them.

She looked at the other guy consideringly, taking in the star on the sleeve of his shirt and the shrinking bruise on his cheek. “You must be Eli,” she said after a few moments of silence.

He startled, obviously not expecting her to know who he was. “How'd you know that?” he asked, crossing his arms of his chest. She could see he was itching for another fight if she proved to be an enemy in his eyes. Looked like not much had changed from what she heard.

“Kate.”

That was apparently the right answer, because he broke out in a grin, arms dropping as he moved toward her. “You must be Miss America, then,” he said, reaching out for a handshake. “I've seen you on the news. Nice fighting, by the way.”

“You too,” she said, smiling a little. She'd had high expectations of him after everything Kate had told her, and he hadn't disappointed. So far. “There's a diner around the corner. Pancakes?”

He nodded and they headed out of the alleyway, mostly silent until they were seated in a booth and ordering. “So you're the new Captain America wanna be.”

She cocked her head, wondering if he was actually serious or if he just had a crappy sense of humor. Knowing the rest of the team, it was probably the latter. “I'm not trying to replace you.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said with a rueful grin. He looked like he wanted to say more, but just shook his head.

They were silent again until their pancakes came, both of them falling on them ravenously. This was one of her regular haunts, so they'd even gotten a little extra, which she appreciated a lot. Kicking ass really made you hungry.

Between bites, conversation picked up again, ranging from fighting techniques to current events. America found he was pretty good company, though he seemed to tense up every time she mentioned one of her teammates.

“Sounds like you really miss the team,” she said quietly, watching the way he winced at her words. She knew from Kate he hadn't really talked to anyone on the team since he left, and it was obvious he'd done whatever he needed to do all alone and he was ready to come back.

He was silent for several minutes, staring blankly out the darkened window onto the almost empty street. She stayed quiet as well, letting him work through what he needed to work through. It wouldn't help if she pushed, they were alike enough that she could see that.

“I really do,” he finally said, so quietly she almost missed it. He was still looking out the window, but the face she could see in the reflection no longer looked nearly as lost.

“You should come back. They'd like to see you and you _are_ part of the team.”

“I can't do that,” he replied immediately, turning to look at her. She could see how much he was fighting with himself over it. “I left, I can't just come back.”

She shrugged. It didn't matter that much to her whether he came back or not, she barely knew him outside of stories, but she knew it would make her friends happy. Especially Kate, even if her breakup with Eli was still a bit of a touchy subject among the team. “You don't have to stay,” she said instead of any of that. “Just a visit or something. Since you're back in town anyway.”

He sighed, but she knew she had him. “Just a visit,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She nodded patiently, but she also knew that wasn't going to happen. Once he saw them again, he wasn't going to want to go off wherever he'd gone before. It might have been the right choice for him then, but he needed his friends back now.

“You finished yet?” she asked, gesturing at the half a stack of pancakes he'd forgotten while they talked.

He blinked, apparently surprised he'd left so many, and picked his fork up again. The pancakes were gone in minutes, but she'd seen Captain America eat once, and this was probably quite slow for someone with the supersoldier serum, especially after the fight they'd been in earlier.

“Done.”

They paid and left, wandering back down the dark street without saying a word. She wondered if he knew where they were headed or that tonight was training night. Well, he'd see soon enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome. If you like my fic, come chat with me [on tumblr](http://voldiebuns.tumblr.com/) or maybe [buy me a coffee](http://ko-fi.com/A7274PC).


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